Highlights
- Civil Engineer armor in Fallout 76 is good for new players with helpful set bonuses and a weapon durability buff.
- While not the best in terms of damage resistance, Civil Engineer armor can still be a worthwhile alternative.
- Being tradeable sets Civil Engineer armor apart, allowing players to share it among additional characters.
Among other new content, Fallout 76’s latest update added a new endgame armor set for players to earn, the Civil Engineer armor. This armor has similar stats compared to other endgame armor sets in Fallout 76, though players should understand all of its unique features before investing in it over another armor set.
Although the Civil Engineer armor doesn’t have the best damage resistance attributes compared to Fallout 76’s meta armor sets, this armor still has some key advantages. In particular, the Civil Engineer armor’s set bonuses can be especially helpful for players in the early game, making this armor perfect for new players. However, the Civil Engineer armor can be just as difficult to obtain as any other endgame armor in Fallout 76, which puts it in a tough position.
Related
Fallout 76’s Meta Build Is The Ultimate Power Fantasy
Few RPGs allow players to become a jack of all trades, which makes Fallout 76’s meta build both a guilty pleasure and the ultimate power fantasy.
Comparing the Stats of Fallout 76’s Endgame Armor Sets
| Armor | Ballistic Resistance | Energy Resistance | Radiation Resistance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brotherhood Recon | 300 | 160 | 160 |
| Chinese Stealth | 140 | 140 | 1000 |
| Civil Engineer | 144 | 287 | 181 |
| Covert Scout | 160 | 170 | 50 |
| Secret Service | 250 | 220 | 220 |
| Solar | 160 | 120 | 0 |
| Thorn | 160 | 120 | 0 |
These attributes are taken from the base values of each armor’s maximum level, not including any additional stats from perks, mods, under armor, or Legendary armor effects in Fallout 76.
Outside of power armor, the Secret Service armor in Fallout 76 is generally considered the best all-around armor because of its high damage resistance attributes. Since the Secret Service armor doesn’t have a set bonus, players who are looking for armor that provides more than just high damage resistance will have to consider using another armor set. With the Civil Engineer having its own set bonus and also having relatively high resistance attributes, this armor can be a worthwhile alternative.
The Set Bonuses for Fallout 76’s Civil Engineer Armor
- 10% chance to inflict melee attackers with 150 Fire damage over time
- All melee and ranged weapons break 35% slower
Because of the Civil Engineer’s set bonuses, this armor is recommended for new players in Fallout 76, as it can help players conserve their limited junk resources in the early stages of the game by repairing their weapons less often.
That said, it’s worth mentioning that the set bonuses for the Civil Engineer armor aren’t unique to the armor, whereas similar bonuses are available as Legendary armor and Legendary weapon effects in Fallout 76. Ultimately, players can stack these buffs together to increase the effectiveness of these set bonuses; otherwise, players can use a different armor set while still benefitting from the Civil Engineer’s weapon durability buff and Fire DoT damage to melee attackers.
Fallout 76’s Civil Engineer Armor is Perfect for New Players
Unlike most of the other endgame armor sets in Fallout 76, the Civil Engineer armor has the added benefit of being tradeable. Normally when a new endgame armor set or weapon is introduced to Fallout 76, this isn’t the case, so hopefully the Civil Engineer armor will set a trend for other new items coming to Fallout 76 to also be tradeable.
The Civil Engineer armor being tradeable means that players can buy and sell pieces of the Civil Engineer armor set in the player’s vending machines in Fallout 76 to potentially get it early. If not, players will have to progress to the point of completing the new quests added in Fallout 76’s Atlantic City updates in order to get the full Civil Engineer armor set.
Except, by this point, players will likely have access to other, potentially better, endgame armor options already. The biggest advantage of the Civil Engineer armor being tradeable is that players who invest in this armor can share it with any additional characters that they make, which can save a lot of junk and Legendary crafting materials.
Fallout 76
- Franchise
- Fallout
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS4 , Xbox One
- Released
- November 14, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Genre(s)
- Action , RPG
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Engine
- Creation
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- How Long To Beat
- 34 Hours
- X|S Enhanced
- No
- File Size Xbox Series
- 97 GB (May 2024)
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
